Bringing you a behind the scene look at Know Theatre and the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

Drawing to a Close

Hello all! It’s Sean and Jae from the Calculus the Musical Tour! We currently are reflecting on our many months of touring as our contract comes to a close. It has been a whirlwind of an experience traveling the country for two years in a Hyundai Santa Fe and singing songs about Derivatives. We did the math with Eric while we were in Cincinnati for the Arts Wave Sampler and we have driven over 70,000 miles during our stint with Calculus! That’s 1 and a half times around the world!!!!!

During our travels we have encountered so many wonderful people, viewed sights that take your breath away and learned so much about math, theatre and ourselves. One thing I’ve learned about myself (Jae speaking) is that I am extremely OCD about hotel rooms. I mean have you heard about the bed bug epidemic sweeping the country??? No?? Oh, it’s just me? Well I digress…..

The highlights of tour life truly are the people you meet along the way. There are so many awesome schools, teachers and students who are passionate about math. We feel so fortunate to bring them a piece of theatre tailored specifically for their passions and strengths. When students come up to you after a show and tell you how much they appreciated the performance; those moments are priceless.

And of course, like any cult classic film, there are the Calculus groupies. I personally never would have thought that two people doing an educational tour would sign hundreds of autographs at events, but we do and some of them are in rather interesting places. Of course, we get the typical, “Sign my program,” or “Sign my ticket stub.” But then we upgrade to, “Sign my calculator,” and “Sign my homework,” or even “Sign my pocket protector.” And then there is the weird of weird’s, “Sign my pectoral,” and the best, “Sign my forehead!” Yes, the forehead of a young man in Toledo was signed by Sean Powell. It was sweaty; it was in permanent marker; it was awesome!!!

Another part of our tour responsibilities is the post show Question and Answer session. It’s kind of like a post game interview with athletes after a big game. I mean we’re out of breath and sweaty. It’s a totally logical analogy. Number one on the list of frequently asked questions is, “Do we really know anything about Calculus?” to which we reply, “Kind of.” I mean two weeks of Marc Gutman’s crash course in Calculus does not make one a Calc genius. However, we have learned so much about Calculus over the past two years. What’s even more is that we have a deep respect for the people who came up with these incredible theories and formulas. The second favorite question is, “Are you a couple?” To which we happily reply, “Yes!” Then we get an enormous round of applause, to which I always wonder what for? No, in all seriousness, it has been a privilege to spend the first two years of marriage with my husband 24/7. That pretty much means that our marriage is foolproof right? What other couple can boast of such things? Can you imagine the stories we will get to tell our kids someday about how we spent the first two years of married life homeless and performing for over 15000 people?

All good things must come to an end, and yes Sean and I are not returning to the Calculus tour. But we are leaving it in very capable hands and we hope these Calcu-actors will bring you much laughter and joy as you continue your passion for math.

We have to say a big THANK YOU to the Know Theatre for allowing us to share in this precious opportunity and finally all the teachers and students who hold a special place in their hearts for Calculus. You are all incredible people and we wish you many happy PEAKS and very few TROUGHS.